Small World
by Jyo-Chan
Summary: It's easy to think that nobody understands; to think nobody knows what you're going through. Then you find someone who's exactly like you and realize that you're not alone. Axel x Kairi.


**It's easy to think that nobody understands; to think nobody knows what you're going through. Then you find someone who's exactly like you and realize that you're not alone. Axel x Kairi.**

This has been sitting in my old FF folder for something close to 2 years, probably, and I haven't made any large corrections apart from my overuse of commas, some spelling, a few grammar/punctuation errors. I'm sure there's a lot more I haven't caught onto but OH WELL!

* * *

He found her on the beach; it was her favorite place to go. She had her shoulders set straight and her head held high, but he knew that wasn't how she truly felt on the inside.

On the inside, it was chaotic; emotional. Most people probably wouldn't be able to tell but he knew her well enough to know the different kind of silences she seemed to scream from time to time.

He could almost hear her; 'I don't need this right now.' This being, well…everything.

Firmly, he stepped forward and called out her name, "Kairi."

She made no move to acknowledge him; almost as if she hadn't heard him. If the wind hadn't been flowing through her hair, then he would've thought he was speaking to a statue, "Your mind's made up?"

The crimson haired girl turned and started walking away. The next words she spoke were irrelevant to his previous question, "I'm going home."

He started after her. "Sorry for what I did."

"Sorry isn't good enough," she retorted just as quick, her words sharp as knives.

Something was surging inside of him, but no matter how much he wanted to reach out and make her stay and talk it out, he decided to let her go. Soon she was gone, out of sight, and he was the only one left behind.

"Alright…" he spoke softly to the rolling waves, "I see how it is…"

It was funny, how things turned out the way they did. It felt as if it was only yesterday that he saw her, here, on the same beach, looking out at the same sea under the same sky. Nothing felt as if they had changed, much, yet everything was different; nothing was the same anymore. There was no way he could go back to how things had been before. He could try but he knew it'll probably never be enough.

He prided himself on his memory; being the inventor of the now-generic catchphrase 'Got it memorized' he needed to be; otherwise he would end up contradicting himself and everything he made himself to be.

It was clear, his memory, as if he was reliving through it again and the fact that he was still on the beach made it even more real.

He had been on his way home when it happened, he'd chosen to go through a shortcut rather than the normal route. Sometimes he still wondered if that had been a good choice.

It was odd; how similar they were in some ways but completely different in others.

There had been times where he felt as if life was just too unfair and that it was just too hard to go through, but never in his life had he ever actually seriously contemplated throwing it away like it wasn't worth anything.

Not like she did.

She was knee deep in the water; her shoes and socks soaked, her bag discarded on the wet sand; uncared for.

He didn't think too much of it; maybe she just wanted a little dip in the water or something, lots of people do that nowadays regardless of whether or not they were going to end up walking home in sopping clothes.

But a silent scream cried out for his attention and he found that he couldn't walk away. Despite how stalkerish he felt he still stayed and watched.

Eventually, she began to amble deeper into the water, until the sea touched her fingertips, until it surrounded her waist.

Then it clicked and before he knew it, his bag was gone and he was dragging himself through the water, reaching out for her hand, "What're you doing?!"

Water-filled eyes turned to him and instantly looked away again. "Leave me alone," she managed with a shaky voice.

He frowned and turned towards the beach, his hand still firmly on her arm and pulling her along even though she didn't want to follow.

"Go away!" She shouted, her voice stronger but still quivering while she tried to beat him down with weak strikes.

He didn't relent.

He didn't understand.

She was the one that was always surrounded by people. It was because of her radiance, her smile, her laughter, her ability to draw people in while, at the same time, keep people at a distance and wanting more.

He was never a part of that crowd but there were times where he wondered what it would be like to be a part of it even if just for a little while.

But they were from two different worlds so he didn't bother.

Day-in and day-out, it was the same thing over and over again; monotonous. Sometimes he wondered if he was stuck in a never-ending dream, a very boring one: a dead-end.

"Hey Axel, how's it going?"

He merely gave a grunt as his answer while the seat opposite him was now occupied by a dirty-haired blond with a not-so-happy smile. "Are you really studying or just thinking about something else?"

He gave another grunt as his answer. Even if his green eyes were glued to the pages in front of him, seeing but unseeing at the same time, he could still feel Demyx's stare on him and the anxiety hanging in the air growing thicker with each passing second.

"Hey, Axel?"

The red head gave a raise of his eyebrows and a hum to show that he was paying the slightest bit of attention to the other as his fingers continued to twirl the pen around and occasionally tap the page.

"You remember what I told you, right?" the dirty-haired blond asked as he leaned forward just the slightest bit and tried to catch green eyes that were avoiding his. His efforts were soon rewarded and he claimed the red head's attention. "Things will eventually get better, trust me."

They always say that; day-in and day-out. It was getting harder and harder to tell if those words are genuine or generic.

But rather than say anything about it, he merely gave another hum to end the subject and move on to another one, to the test that was coming up next period that he hadn't really studied despite trying.

* * *

It was cold, it was bitter; it was winter.

He disliked the weather but it was a good thing it never lasted for very long here on Destiny Island.

He liked the snow, but only if he was somewhere nice and warm and he was watching it from the inside and not shivering in his bones outside.

He took a shortcut home because he wanted to get back as quickly as he could and settle in front of the heater rather than beat around the bush and take the normal route home, even if he _was_ surrounded with some friends and huddled in a little bit of warmth.

Then he saw her, wearing a goddamn skirt but wrapped in a warm sweater, scarf and gloves.

It was too cold for a swim; she'd be crazy if she was going for a dip, but watching the snow fall from the sky and disappear into the half-frozen sea was really a sight to behold.

That wasn't the only thing though; the snow falling around made her look surreal, like she was something from a totally different world.

Then he figured the cold was really getting to him and his fingers were progressively getting more and more numb. He decided to hurry on home before he froze on the spot. He just hoped she'd do the same thing before she turned into an ice statue, too.

"What were you trying to do?" He asked again and hoped he didn't look as uncomfortable as he felt; soaked from the waist down with clumps of sand stuck onto his clothes.

"Like you care!" she shouted with her arms wrapped around her body and a defiant stare in her water-filled eyes.

He didn't understand; how could a girl like her, so lively and constantly surrounded by friends, act like this?

But as he continued to stare into her eyes - hate, pain, and hopelessness - he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger bubbling away inside of him. Something snapped, and the next words to spew out of his mouth hadn't been what he had been meaning to say.

"You're right, I don't; why should I care about you when I have my _own_ problems to deal with?!" He shouted. He hadn't meant to say it, but it felt so good to have it out in the open. Then he realized that he had just shouted out his frustrations to a total stranger when it took Demyx the better part of two months to pry_ something, anything_ out of him.

Axel looked away, ashamed at himself for the way that he was acting and angry at her for being so…stupid.

Eventually, he shrugged and turned towards his bag, "Whatever…" he didn't need this; didn't need this kind of thing to happen to him, he's already got enough on his plate.

He picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder and made his way across the sand, ignoring the horrible, gritty sensation between his toes whenever he took a step and then another.

"W-wait," a timid voice called out.

He slowed and turned to the girl, "…What." He was tired, and wet, and he just wanted to go home and sleep the rest of the day away regardless of whether or not he had a test to study for tomorrow which was on second period.

She looked away, down at sand that clung onto her legs like a second skin, and murmured, "…Nothing…"

A small noise rumbled up Axel's throat at her reply but he said nothing else as he turned and continued his way back home.

A part of him told him that it wasn't a good idea to leave her behind; who knows what other crazy ideas she might come up with, and he'd rather not have her death hanging over his head. But the other part of him couldn't care less, because he had his own share of problems to deal with and he didn't need another person's to add onto it.

By the time he got home, tired beyond belief and in desperate need for a shower and a change of clothes, the girl was the first and the last thing on his mind.

He always sat in the farthest corner of the library where it was quieter and where it was his spot and his alone. Very few people came to where he was and most of them were his friends anyway so it hardly even counted.

With a hand holding up his chin and the other tapping a nonsensical rhythm on the table with a pen he tried to study for the mid-year exams. Most of them didn't count towards the final grade but it was still good practice.

If only Axel cared enough to pay attention to the blurry texts in his books.

Then he sighed and asked himself, "Why do I even bother?"

And as if to distract him from something he couldn't even pay attention to, a voice greeted him, "Hi."

Axel turned from his books and papers to the speaker. His mind, which had been so full of unanswered questions before, was now a complete blank.

She continued to watch him with a smile on her lips and a void in her eyes; undeterred despite his lack of response. Eventually, he realized he was staring - rather blatantly.

Belatedly, he returned the greeting, "Hi."

And for the first time - while she wasn't surrounded by her friends and other people - he got to listen to her laugh. But it sounded hollow, and he wondered if it was because she was talking to him and not other people; other people who didn't know.

Without invitation, she took the empty seat on the other side of the table, her hands folded over her legs and her posture straight and formal.

Axel didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling it had something to do with their unexpected meeting on the beach about a week ago.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence and polite scrutiny, she spoke, "The other day-"

"What about it." He didn't want to think about it, but it was too late now that it was brought up.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Why would I be?"

She let out a soft hum at his cold indifference, but it looked as if she had been expecting it and wasn't too put off by his reaction.

He sighed again and pinched at the bridge of his nose in a tired manner, "What do you want?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

'Great…she doesn't know.' He couldn't help but think to himself a bit wryly.

As the silence stretched on between them she continued to watch him in an expectant manner. He didn't know she wanted from him and she didn't know herself either, so what was he even supposed to say?

Her blue eyes eventually got onto his nerves and he looked back down at his books and notes. Then he remembered the exams, the tests, assignments and random essays he still needed to do and prepare for. With school coupled with his own share of problems, personal or otherwise, things were starting to get more than just a little hectic. He realized that if the girl needed some advice then she'd better find someone else because he was pretty damn lost with his own life, too.

"Look," he started quite suddenly, bringing her out of her own thoughts, "If you need someone to talk to then you're looking at the wrong guy. Talk to one of your own friends or something." They could probably handle her a lot better than he can.

She furrowed her eyebrows in a confused manner, "Friends?"

He quirked up an eyebrow at her, "Yeah, those people you always hang out with."

"They're not really my friends." There was the smile again; empty and not quite happy.

"Better than me." He hardly even knew her; they never talked, save for that one time.

"What if I prefer to talk to you?"

"Not much to talk about."

"More than them."

His right eye twitched. What exactly was with this girl? This girl whose name he doesn't even know and who he's only talked to a grand total of one time. OK, twice.

He was starting to feel as if they were just going around in circles. He wasn't quite sure what kind of conversation she was aiming for, but he wanted no part of it. It wasn't his business.

As if she read his thoughts, she leaned forward on the table, her elbows rested and her hands on her cheeks with that same smile on her lips.

He didn't want to go through this, and a rueful part of him wondered if this was what his friends had to go through when he was being like this; uncooperative. Then as if to make a point, Demyx's voice popped out of nowhere.

'_Everything will be ok.'_

He wondered if that was what she was looking for; some reassurance. Might as well try; it didn't seem as though she was going to leave anytime soon.

"Well, I'll tell you what my friends tell me; everything will-"

"You know they always say that," she cut in. "Everything will get better."

Axel couldn't help but frown slightly; if that's not what she wanted to hear, why bother with him? He was practically in the same boat as her; uncooperative.

She smiled an empty smile as he frowned, "You know they're just trying to look out for you, but it gets annoying after a while, doesn't it?"

He furrowed his eyebrows a little more at her words, but she was right. But then why bother looking for him in the first place? She was only going to end up getting the same reaction (however poor) from him.

Her smile grew, and it wasn't empty anymore, but it wasn't happy either, "You know it's not enough, despite their efforts, because you're missing something they can never give."

The gears in his mind were whirling at an incredible pace; every word she spoke, every expression she showed (or failed to).

He realized; she was the same as him.

Being on the same boat was one thing, but being exactly the same…well…

"Isn't that right?" She stated with a slight tilt of her head.

Emotions that he hadn't truly felt in a while were bubbling away inside of him. Thoughts that he hadn't pondered on before were popping out of nowhere. Things he only saw echo back at him from a mirror were coming from another person.

It unnerved him; the girl who seemed to know everything (yet nothing) about him.

Then he realized that she was trying to drag him down with her, because they were the same.

A part of him didn't seem to mind too much.

* * *

He had always been looking for something, in the dark of his room. He knew it was right under his nose, he could feel it, and if he kept trying hard enough he might just be able to find what he was looking for.

His friends tried to help, they always try, they even gave him a flashlight but it wasn't good enough.

He'd keep looking, his eyes trailing that small circle of light, and then the battery would die and run out and he'd be left alone in the dark again. Then his friends would come by and give him a pack of new batteries to replace the old ones then leave again.

Gee…thanks for the help.

It was probably a poor way to describe it, but Kairi seemed to understand it enough.

Better than his friends at least.

* * *

Another year has come and gone and it's winter again. He really hated the cold weather, so he couldn't help but ask himself just exactly _why_ he was standing on the goddamn beach with its half-frozen sea.

Then he looked to his right and found the reason; Kairi.

She had her eyes closed with her face slightly tilted to the sky and her cheeks flushed pink. Every once in a while the snow would fall onto her face and melt away, giving the impression of tears.

He suppressed a sigh and couldn't help but wonder just what she was trying to do. Freeze herself to death and take him with her? No, thank you…

She was wearing a damn skirt again, with a warm sweater, scarf and gloves. He wondered how she could survive with just that when he was barely coping with three layers of clothes, a jacket, a scarf and a pair of gloves.

"Are you cold?"

He scoffed at the stupid question, "Fuck yes."

She laughed at him then turned back to the sea with her eyes closed and her face tilted upwards.

He rolled his eyes and wondered how much longer he had to suffer out here.

The silence shared between them was mutual; she was in her own world and he was in his.

He flexed his fingers just to make sure he still had them; the material of the gloves rubbed against his skin uncomfortably but they were too numb to feel much of anything else.

He sighed again and when he tried to flex his fingers, something got in the way; Kairi's.

"Close your eyes." she spoke softly, her eyes still closed and her face still directed towards the sky and not him.

A part of him asked, 'Why?' as he scrutinized her, but the other part told him that he should just trust her and listen.

So he did and he closed his eyes.

He felt the snow fall onto his cheeks and slide down like an unshed tear. He supposed that was why she liked doing this because there were times where she seemed as if she wanted to cry but she couldn't and this made up for it.

* * *

He shuffled along the footpath, dragging himself towards a destination he didn't want to go but since Kairi wouldn't pick up her phone, he figured it was probably the only place he'd be able to find her at.

Before he even got to the beach, he could already see her silhouette figure.

Axel rolled his eyes and sighed; how typical.

But as he walked closer, he realized that maybe he was wrong and that the person wasn't Kairi after all even though the person looked like her. Maybe she decided for a change in fashion. And hairstyle.

"Kairi."

She turned towards him, a little startled, and stared at him with familiar but not-blue eyes, "You know my sister?"

"…Uh…?" Not Kairi.

* * *

"How is she?"

He turned to the blonde with a raised eyebrow; how could she not know her own sister? He decided it was a good move he didn't ask out loud because she seemed guilty enough that she had to ask someone else, "She's fine." Or as fine as fine can be.

She smiled as she looked down at the rolling waves and the sand beneath her sandals, "That's good to hear."

He let out a hum. He hadn't caught Kairi doing anything weird or crazy, not since that time at the beach, so he supposed that it _was_ good - for a little while longer at least.

He slipped his hands deep into his pockets, kept his gaze locked on the sinking sun over the horizon and allowed his mind to wonder over where Kairi could be. She had yet to reply to any of his texts and whenever he tried calling, she never picked up. He would've gone over to her house but he didn't know where it was, never having been invited before. Not that he minded much.

"Are you two together?" She asked curiously.

The question threw him, "Um…" He wanted to skip on that subject because, really, he didn't know himself, "We don't talk about it, so..." They held hands occasionally, and talked about things that weren't exactly normal to have between friends but he didn't want to assume.

It was sort of funny now that he thought about it, and he couldn't stop the small lop-sided smile from appearing on his face.

She laughed at his reaction; his uncertainty, but decided to take his word for it. "Thank you," she started softly, her gentle gaze fixed on a lone seashell on the sand.

"…What for?" He wondered out loud, because as far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to warrant any thanks, so he couldn't help but ask.

"For helping her; for looking after her and…for understanding."

"Umm…" It felt awkward to accept thanks when he didn't think it was necessary but it seemed important to the blonde so he took it. "You're welcome," he told her but he couldn't help the slight question mark tacked on at the end.

She smiled; a smile that seemed identical to Kairi's. If it weren't for the hair color and the style that she wore it Axel would've thought they were one and the same. But he knew they weren't the same. Naminé seemed calm and peaceful while Kairi held deep secrets and a façade that very few people could see through.

"She seems a lot better now," Naminé started again, "I'm happy for her."

Then finally, Axel decided to ask the question that had been floating around in his head since the moment she spoke to him, "Why ask me when you can ask her yourself? You're sisters, aren't you?" He hoped he didn't come off too brash, but he was curious to find out why, even though they were related, they seemed so distant.

Naminé furrowed her eyebrows in worry and anxiety as she wrung her fingers together in apprehension and bit her bottom lip. It was a while before she uttered a word, "Our parents divorced. I went with my mum to Twilight Town while Kairi stayed here with dad."

"Oh…" He said simply. He didn't know and it wasn't until now that he realized that Kairi never spoke much about her family. Now that he thought about it, it made sense why she seemed to have so many problems. Comes with the territory, he supposed.

"I wanted to stay with Kairi; she's my sister. Every time I come to visit it gets worse and worse and I never know what to do or say and it just-" she lost her voice to the rising tears in her eyes. Unwittingly, she turned to the closest comfort she could get and held on tight. "We're a broken family," she cried.

He was surprised; completely caught off-guard by the firm hug she had around him. But awkwardly, he patted her shoulders in comfort.

As she sniffed and cried, he couldn't help but wish he brought a pack of tissues with him; it would've been helpful right about now.

Eventually, Naminé calmed down, but still clung on for support; something that continued to make Axel feel awkward.

Then the crunch of shoes on sand was the only thing to take his attention away from the disheartened blonde as well as a familiar voice.

"…What are you doing?" the tone of it barely held back a flood of emotions that were on the verge of drowning everything.

Naminé let out a soft gasp as she turned to the voice and smiled, "Kairi!" She let go of Axel and rushed over to the crimson haired girl, but an outstretched hand stopped the blonde from getting too close. She stared on in confusion, "Kairi?"

"What were you doing?" She asked again, more demanding this time.

"Me and Axel were talking about you," she started happily, "You never told me about him and I'm so-"

"There's a reason why I never told you," she snapped and then turned her attention to the red head, "Axel," she started, her voice calm but troubled, "We need to talk."

The red head couldn't help but wonder since when did his life turn into a drama show.

The atmosphere that surrounded them was familiar but unwelcomed. It had been a while since Axel had felt this way; tension rolling around them in waves.

Naminé caught on the mood and was worrying incessantly over something that she didn't seem to know all about. Every word she spoke was met with a hard stare and eventually, she was told to go home.

"But-" She didn't want to go, not when she felt as though she just started something she didn't mean to. She wanted to fix it, whatever rift she caused, but she didn't know how.

"Just go home, Naminé." Kairi muttered out.

"Don't be rude, Kairi."

"_Rude_?" She retorted and turned to Axel with an angry glare.

"Kairi-"

Again, she snapped and turned to the blonde, "Naminé, go _away_!" She screeched.

Frightened, and saddened, she didn't know what else to do. If going away would make Kairi feel better then that was what she was going to do. With a slow, understanding nod and with tears in her eyes, Naminé left the beach and started on her way back towards the house.

Kairi looked livid, like there were a hundred emotions surging in and around her and she didn't know which to pick to act on. She had her mouth opened to speak but no words came out, as though she had so many things to say but couldn't because there was word traffic happening in her throat.

Then finally, she settled, "How could you?" She demanded. "With my sister!"

He shook his head; he didn't understand what was going on, "What did I do?" Because as far as he knew all he did was talk to her and return the hug when she needed it. He did the same for Kairi a few times as well, so what was wrong?

"It's bad enough that everybody likes her and nobody gets me, but you end up jumping ship, too!"

This was ridiculous; what was she even thinking? He thought she knew him better than that. Had the year they spent together meant absolutely nothing? "I wasn't-"

"Don't you _dare_ pretend! I knew things were too good to be true," she laughed ruefully; "You were just leading me on!"

"Hey, wait, hold on a minute here." He tried to calm her down all the while trying to piece together things that he couldn't quite get. "What even makes you think that I'd-"

"I mean, I already thought it was weird that you never said anything about it: about us, but I assumed that it's only because you're a quiet kind of guy," she started to ramble, "I mean, normally I'd have to be the one to start anything but then I see you and then I see _her_ and the both of you were-"

"It was only a hug!" And Naminé was the one that started it.

"I don't _care_!" She screamed, "It took me half a year to even get you to hold hands with me! And then suddenly Naminé comes out of nowhere and the both of you are already so _comfortable_ with each other!"

"Oh my go-are you even _listening_ to yourself?" It was ridiculous, and it seemed to be getting worse and worse, like a whirlpool that was beginning to form and drag them both down.

"I bet you are _really_ enjoying this; my insecurities. 'Oh look at Kairi, she's having another meltdown.'" She started in what was a very horrible impersonation of Axel's voice.

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, he might've laughed at it.

"It's always like this," she seethed, talking more to herself than anything else, "It's always like this with everyone. Nobody cares, they never do. They only hang around me because I'm Naminé's sister, what do they care about me? I'm nobody."

"Kairi," he had never seen her like this before, and it was only right of him to start worrying. They fought – countless of times over stupid things, but it never got to this point; to the brink of falling over the edge, "Listen to me," he reached out for her arms, but she reacted violently.

"Don't touch me."

But he remained steadfast, "Kairi!"

She started throwing hits at him and occasionally her nails would scratch at his face and neck if he got too near, "Don't touch me! Get away from me! You stupid, horrible, lying, cheating-"

"Kairi!"

"DON'T _TOUCH_ ME!" She screamed as she tried to get away, her nails almost gouging out one of his eyes.

He snapped.

The crack of skin in harsh contact with another echoed over the now quiet beach where not even the waves could drown out the noise. They stood still, as if frozen in time.

Then the sudden reality of his actions finally caught up to him and he couldn't help but lose his breath over it. How could he have done such a thing?

"Kai-" He couldn't even find his voice.

"You-" She tentatively reached up to her cheek and touched where it ached. "You…hit me."

His hand started to sting and prickle; it grew worse as he lowered it. "Kairi, I'm sorry-I didn't mean to." He hadn't been thinking clearly and he let his emotions take over him when he should've had better control over the situation.

Axel wanted more than anything to just hold her and never let go all the while whispering apologies into her hair. But she didn't want it.

"Kairi, I-"

She stepped away just as he tried to reach out for her again, "Don't…"

"Kai-"

"I don't want to hear it." Her voice was weak, possibly from all the shouting or maybe from another wave of emotions taking over body.

"I-"

"It's over."

Her words seemed to echo around him and repeat like a broken record. As she ran he made no move to follow, still too shocked by his actions to. His hand still prickled and when he looked down at it, it was burned an angry red. In a fit of anger, he crushed his fist into the sand and buried it, in hopes it would control it. But he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

It's never easy to forgive.

He knew that.

It's been over a week, and trying to get her alone so they could talk was like trying to make the sun to disappear: impossible. But the one time he finally managed to find her alone she was at the beach; her favorite place to go. She didn't even look at him but at least she said something despite that it hadn't gone the way he had planned.

Now he sat on the sand contemplating what else he could possibly do, what else he could possibly say to earn her forgiveness.

He sighed tiredly as he ran his fingers through his hair and left it there to tug on the roots occasionally. His green eyes stared out at the seemingly never-ending sea and he could feel the waves shift the sand beneath his feet.

Slowly, he stood and watched as the waves licked at his shoes and pull away again. He stepped forward before it retreated too far. Then he took another and another until he was knee-deep in water.

The coolness of the water gave him something else to think about, something else to ponder over, and for once he felt truly at peace.

He continued walking against the drag and push of the waves until his fingers touched the water. Axel didn't manage to make it much further than that when he heard the splash of water behind him and turned to see a distraught looking Kairi.

"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly, worry and desperation in her voice.

He was surprised, caught off-guard by her sudden attention when it took him almost a week to even get her to utter a single word at him. Now look where they are.

Then he realized he was staring again, rather blatantly. "I was thinking," he answered simply and noticed the water was already up to her waist where it barely reached his hips.

Kairi exhaled in relief but made no move to let go of his arm.

He watched her and found it funny how their roles have suddenly reversed on them. Despite the seriousness of the situation he couldn't help but smile at her, "I didn't know you cared."

She frowned half-heartedly and said nothing but slowly proceeded to drag the both of them back onto the beach where the sand was bound to get into their shoes and in between their toes in a gritty and uncomfortable manner.

When they finally reached the shore she let go of him and started to wring out the excess water in her skirt, more to provide a distraction and something to do than anything else.

This was his chance to finally say something; apologize again and maybe repair what damage he inflicted on their relationship, but he couldn't find the right words and instead allowed silence to reign over.

When Kairi was finally done and there was nothing else she could do to distract herself with she turned to the red head but kept her gaze firmly on his sand-covered shoes. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?" She asked with crossed arms and a less-than-please look.

Despite that she was finally actually talking to him he still couldn't force his voice to work, but it was during this time that he remembered that actions speak louder than words.

She let out a soft gasp when firms arms enveloped around her and kept hold. The words he spoke barely came out over a whisper but she knew what he meant to say even if the words were drowned by the rolling waves.

Tentatively, she returned the hug and allowed herself to cry without the aid of the falling snow on her cheeks.

They held on as each other's support until the sky darkened and the moon became their only guiding light.

"We'll be together everyday, right?" She asked softly, her words muffled into his clothes, her voice filled with worry and uncertainty.

He couldn't help but laugh at her question; as if she needed to ask.

He reached out for her hand which surprised her because this time it wasn't Kairi that was the first to initiate.

He never said it, maybe because he didn't think he needed to but he supposed that he should've, it would've given her some sense of clarity, at least; that he really did care for her.

"Oh, almost forgot." he reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small parcel wrapped in blue; the color of her eyes. "It's kind of…funny," he started as he twirled the gift in between his fingers, "You make me feel…" there were so many ways to end that sentence but he chose the one that rang true, "Like I have a heart," and as he gave her the parcel, he noticed the glow in her cheeks and couldn't help but notice the glow in his heart as well.

* * *

I'm aware I included more than my fair share of time-jumps and that it may take more than a single read-through to be understood. If you got it first time then kudos to you but if not…well, let's just say that it took me a _really_ long time to figure out what was going on after trying to edit this for the first time in 2 years. AND I'M THE WRITER.

**Also, please note that I am no longer an active writer for Kingdom Hearts or an active user of . This will most likely be the very last thing you'll ever see from me. Thank you for all of your support over the years!**

* * *

_To Grey - I'm still waiting._


End file.
